I thought the last post was a huge movie backlog, but this one is just ridiculous! It's practically half the movies I've seen this year. I have more-or-less caught up on all my fall movies I wanted to see (most of this list). Now it's that awkward wait for the summer movies to come out. The Avengers certainly kicked off the summer movies and boy, oh boy, did it kick the summer off!
With that said...Movies! They're going to be short reviews, unless I have something to really say given there are so many of them...
Mirror, Mirror (Julia Roberts, Lily Collins) - Clever portrayal of the dwarves, but the movie is definitely more a comedy than an action/adventure film. So, basically, don't take it seriously. Roberts nails drove me nuts through it because it was some sort of silver chrome and then they changed it at the end. I was trying to see what it was each time! I enjoyed it, but it did leave a feeling of "weird" and "bizarre" when I finished watching it. Grade: B/B-
Hunger Games (Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson) - There were some minor things I didn't like that they changed (e.g., where she got the Mockingjay pin from and its importance), but I overall really enjoyed the film. I didn't cry in the beginning during the reaping, but I did in the other parts I thought I would. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next ones. Grade: A-
21 Jump Street (Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum) - Surprisingly very funny (ala Bridesmaids, but in a male dominated film) and it's nice that they a) didn't take themselves seriously and b) didn't make it a remake. I liked the surprise cameos also and who'd of thunk Tatum was so funny? Basically the two points I made above is what made it work. If it was a remake/reboot, it would have been a little awkward and because it was very slapstick-comedy, it was funny. Grade: B/B+
Happy Feet Two - Good sequel, but it's not quite the first one either. I liked it and it was about family, helping each other out, and perceptions of each other. The environmental theme for this one was about climate change and the melting of the ice, but it wasn't as strong of a theme as the first one. There was less singing in this one too. Or so it seemed. Grade: B/B-
Tower Heist (Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, et al.) - Interesting cast for the film and they all worked well together. The movie was more the "mystery" of where the money went and the end. It was an okay film. There was something sort of "docile" about it. It doesn't have the glam appeal like Ocean's 11 and isn't an espionage, adventure, or straight comedy film either. Grade: B/B-
The Muppets (Jason Segal, Amy Adams) - I rather enjoyed the movie. It was a nice film and I liked the new muppet. I can't say the musical pieces always grabbed me, but I overall liked them. I liked all the little cameos from various people too. I think it was a nice film that sort of fit in the rebooting of The Muppets too. Grade: B+
Young Adult (Charlize Theron) - Definitely not what I expected it to be. It was more of a midlife crisis type of film and is titled Young Adult because Theron's character is a YA author who is trying to write her final book to her series. Her life is basically not going according to plan and she tries to get her old bf back and all this other stuff. Don't particularly recommend it. It's definitely not "light and fluffy" either. Grade: D
My Week with Marilyn (Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne) - An interesting film and though Williams can't ever really be Marilyn, I think she did a pretty decent job at it. Marilyn was certainly an interesting person and the movie shows the various sides to her. How true/accurate the film is I can't say, but I enjoyed it and thought the acting was good. Grade: B/B+
Three Musketeers (Matthew Macfadyen, Luke Evans, et al.) - Not what I expected...It's sort of "over done" by over-the-top production/costumes. I can't really describe it other than to say that I was a little confused by it and am so glad I didn't see it in theater. It's less adventure-y and more about redeeming themselves and everything. It also adds a 4th Musketeer and Orlando Bloom is the bad guy. So, yeah. I sort of rank this up there with Mirror, Mirror for "odd" and "bizarre" feeling after I watched it. Grade: C+
Adventures of TinTin - Okay, I admit it. The animation in this was AMAZING. No wonder it got such great reviews for the animation. It was amazing. It was still cartoon-y, but had that edge of realistic animation to it that simply wow'd you. The story wasn't fantastic and was lacking a little, but it is based off the kid's series and I think it kept well to being a kid's movie while trying to appeal to adults also. If there is no other reason to watch it, I'd just watch it again for the animation. Grade: B
Footloose (Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough) - Admittedly, I've never seen the original (don't throw things at me!), so I can't compare. I think they "updated" the film rather well, though. Basically a fatal car crash because of drinking (where dancing also took place) is what caused the town to have its no dancing rule. I liked Wormald and Hough, but the film was just "okay." Grade: B/B-
Carnage (Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly) - What superb acting! This film is based off the play, which took me a while to figure out. The movie does, I think, a pretty good job trying to bring the play to the big screen, but I do think the play would be far more powerful to see in person rather than it being on the big screen. With that said, the acting was amazing and Foster and Winslet were definitely the two stars of it. Both characters, by the end, are completely drunk and Winslet has to do a throw-up scene and it's just hilarious, sad (at what they're arguing over), and fantastic to watch. It's pure acting with nothing else but them moving between 4 areas (the living room, the kitchen, bathroom, and hallway to the elevator). The grade is almost purely for the acting job. Grade: B+
A Dangerous Method (Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley) - Having learned about Jung in high school, I was curious to see the movie, especially since the cast intrigued me. I enjoyed it. It does deserve its rating and I think Knightley does a good acting job in the beginning when she's "deranged" (the jaw/muscle contortions is just...Wow...) and is trying to recover from her sexual issues. Mortensen is an interesting Freud and Fassbender and Mortensen play off each other fairly well. It's kind of sad to see their friendship devolve over differences in philosophy, though. The movie is kind of a biopic of their relationships (all 3 of them) more than anything, but there's just something slightly off about it. Perhaps it moves too quickly? Is too caught up in patient-doctor-mentor? I don't know...It had good acting, but the movie is definitely not lightweight or anything. Grade: B-
The Descendants (George Clooney) - I liked this film. There was something in it that really worked. I think Clooney did an excellent acting job and the story about families, our family history, moving on, the pain we cause each other, etc is interesting. I also liked seeing Clooney's character learn to build a bond with his oldest daughter and come to terms with his wife's cheating. There's something somewhat poignant and gentle about the film even though it deals with a fairly heavy topic. Grade: B+
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock) - Horn was really surprising at how good he was. Oh my goodness...He has these monologues that just astound you because he is rambling on a mile a minute and it's just amazing to see. Okay, maybe it's just astounding to me because I don't think I could ever do that so well! The depth of the emotion in the film is rather deep at times and I think he did that pretty well too. I really enjoyed the film. It has a really touching ending that both is healing and sad and you definitely go along the journey that Horn's character is trying to accomplish. It is somewhat rambley and there is probably a portion of the movie you don't necessarily have to see, but I liked it. I liked Bullock and Hanks too. Grade: B
War Horse (Jeremy Irvine) - Once again, it's no wonder the film was so well liked. I think Speilberg did an excellent job with the film. For as tough of a subject the film is, you can definitely feel its aim towards being a family movie rather than an adult film. The horses in it are amazing, but so are the people. It sort of reminds me of Black Beauty of how the movie follows the horse around and who the horse touches rather than the people. It does have some sad parts, but the ending is a happy one and, I think, more happy than Black Beauty. I did have my "Ginger moment" that is similar to Black Beauty in War Horse, but it was slightly (JUST slightly) better. The film is well done, though. It truly was handled really well. Grade: B+
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Colin Firth, et al.) - What has an amazing cast, I felt they were a little wasted. Supposedly the book reads far better than the movie and even watching the movie the movie felt flat. The acting is amazing (it is Oldman, Firth, Hurt, Cumberbatch, etc for goodness sake!), but there's just something that doesn't really jive well in the film. I wanted it to be better and it just never quite got there...This film is rather docile for being an espionage movie too. Course, it's more about finding the traitor or what went wrong during a mission so there's a lot of sleuthing of facts and accusations. So, in a lot of ways, the acting is rather guarded and underhanded. It's yelling at each other without really yelling, sort of. Grade: B-
Immortals (Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke) - Well, it was what was to be expected? The mythology was a little odd to me at times, but the movie was interesting. The special effects were interesting and the end was interesting. It's not too surprising of a film and isn't my normal cup of tea, but it was okay. Grade: B-
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner) - Surprisingly, it was rather good. I have never seen a MI film all the way through, but everyone said that Ghost Protocol was pretty good. This movie was rather funny at times and I enjoyed it. It's your basic MI film (or so I would assume) so it's nothing too out of the ordinary, but it passed the time well and you didn't feel cheated out of your rental or anything. I'd watch it again. Though, my palms sweated through one scene. Goodness! I'm glad they have cool gadgets, but that one I would still be iffy about... Grade: B
Haywire (Gina Carano) - It's kind of a combination of Bourne and Salt. It's the type of film where it's a lot of action and trying to clear your name where you've been wrongly set-up. It was okay. It felt a little "been there, done that" to really grab you. I think if there was just a slight change, it could have been better. I can't pinpoint what could have been changed, but it certainly could have gone another angle and perhaps done better. Grade: C+
We Bought a Zoo (Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson) - I liked this film more than I thought I would. It's a somewhat gentle film, but I can't fully say it's a family film. It could be, but it really settles more on the adults and them trying to pull the Zoo together. It's definitely about loss and learning to move on and getting past your grief. I suppose the other theme is rooting for the underdog too. I liked it. I think older kids would be more appropriate to watch this than really young kids. Grade: B
The Avengers (Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, et al.) - So far, my favorite film of 2012! I've seen it twice in theater and I'd even be willing to see it a 3rd time. Yes, it's an action film (my favorite), but the acting and script are great! Not to mention the CG is fantastic! Hulk definitely has the funniest parts in the film, but there are just so many amazing small things throughout it that really make it enjoyable from start to finish. I still get excited when Iron Man shoots his lasers off Captain America's shield (it's in the video game!) and it's just fun. I'm a little mad at Whedon for killing off a certain someone (why does Whedon feel the need to kill people off in everything?!) even though the death served a purpose (I'm convinced they could have written it differently where said person didn't die!). It kind of felt like a geekfest, truth be told, having all those superheros in the film and all this action going on. I think everyone's strengths were well portrayed in the film too and it all just jived well. Definitely makes you excited for the next one and it's a well deserved movie for breaking records right and left. Grade: A+
One for the Money (Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara) - NY accent on Heigl? Hmm...This film is based off of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum (bounty hunter) mystery series. It's the first book in the series (the number in the title denotes the book number in the series - I sold quite a few of these books...). I've watched so many Heigl rom-coms that I couldn't pass this one up even though she's very much a hit-or-miss. This one I'm sort of calling a draw. I can't say it's her worst one, but I can't say it's her best either. I think the biggest thing in the film was her accent sort of bothered me. I'm not sure why it should bother me, but it did. Other than that, it's your pretty basic rom-com where Plum is trying to learn to be a bounty hunter (she knew nothing at the start of the film) and track down an old ex who is wanted and, at the same time, is trying to clear his own name from the crime he supposedly made. So...bounty hunter crime solver...? It's okay. Grade: B/B-
With that...I am up to 41 movies for the year! I've got 7.5 more months to surpass 80 films. At the rate I'm going, you'd think that would be easy (only 40 films), but the summer slows me down a lot since there are far fewer films I want to see from earlier this year. I'm sure the fall will pick up with summer movies, but then the fall hits and I typically miss out on those in the theater. So...we'll see. I've only seen 5 movies in the theater or 6 movies total so far. The summer has some good ones (MIB3, Dark Knight Rises, Brave, etc), but we'll see. By my quick calculation, I only have 25 films left I want to see (DVD or theater). Course, I'm sure I'll pick up some extras, but getting to 80 will be harder than it looks!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Huge movie backlog (and neon tetra death)
Been too tired, busy, and then totally forgot to actually post my movie list. I've been keeping this post for a while and keep forgetting to post it because I never manage to finish it in one sitting so there is quite a few movies to go over.
Contagion (Gwenyth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, etc) - Interesting ensemble cast and an interesting movie. I can't say it's as "exciting" or "riveting" as it's made out to be in the trailer (it's supposed to be a sort of medical thriller), but it was interesting on how accurate it is on how a disease can be transmitted and stuff. I also like how the movie was set-up, but it did take me a little while to figure it out. You essentially start the movie on day 2 and work your way across the days (several hundred) to how the disease spreads, how the vaccine is created/distributed, how the investigation of what it is, etc. At the VERY end of the movie, it shows you day 1 to know how correct or incorrect the CDC was and how the disease came about. In a lot of ways, the movie has a feel to a CSI episode (I suppose that's sort of fitting since Fishburne was in CSI for 2 seasons). Good rental. Grade: B
Real Steel (Hugh Jackman) - Not too shabby of a movie. Not quite your stereotypical ending, but, at the same time, wasn't earth shattering or anything. I enjoyed Jackman and the robot was pretty neat too. It's a pretty good famly-ish movie and something different than Jackman being Wolverine. I liked the boy too. He was likeable and tough, whereas Jackman's character in the beginning wasn't as likeable. In a lot of ways, it was the instance of the kid teaching the parent, I suppose. If there's not a whole else to watch, I'd recommend Real Steel, but it's nothing to run out and watch or try to watch. Grade: B/B-
50/50 (Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt) - Well. It's definitely on the "crude" end given it's a Rogen film; however, for a Rogen film, it's not that bad since it is based on the serious side with the cancer. I liked it, but it's definitely not going to be for everyone. It's a film about dealing with cancer and how those around you also deal with it, but it's also about finding your life. I really liked Gordon-Levitt, but I also like him in general too. Grade: B-
Abduction (Taylor Lautner) - I still can't decide if it's not as bad as I thought or if it's as bad as I thought. It's somewhere in the middle maybe? The story is mostly pretty boring and the acting isn't spectacular, but it also somehow passed the time rather well without realizing it. So, maybe it's where your expectations lie. I expected it to be bad, but also had a friend who said it wasn't that bad. At any rate, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless you already want to see it. There really isn't much beyond what the trailer shows you, except maybe who his parents really are. Grade: C
What's Your Number? (Anna Faris, Chris Evans) - Well, this went somewhere exactly as I thought. It was rather predictable from the get go, but it wasn't horrible either. Course, it certainly wasn't great even amongst other chick flicks. The concept is rather stupid, though. All starts with an article in Marie Claire that women, on average, sleep with 10.5 (I think) men and Faris's character panics and starts counting and realizes she's slept with 19 people (far more than sister's bridesmaids). She makes a promise that she won't sleep with another man and #20 will be her husband. She gets drunk and ends up sleeping with a former co-worker and panics and, thus, with the help of her male neighbor who sleeps around, tracks down all her former boyfriends to see if one of them is "the one." Yup. That's the premise! It just doesn't work as well as other chic flicks and it's probably to do with the premise. Grade: C
Scorpion King 3 (Dave Bautista, Bostin Christopher, etc) - Wow...Scorpion King movies have definitely tanked. #1 and #2 isn't too bad (#1, of course, is the best), but I thought I'd see this one anyway. Yeah, it was bad. The acting was bad. The special effects were bad. The fight scenes were sometimes like a scene from a bad wrestling match. It was also predictable too. I knew who Cobra was the first time we saw Cobra, etc, etc. I watched What's Your Number? after this and it made What's Your Number? seem far better than it should have been (at the time) because SK3 was so bad. So, don't bother seeing this. At the same time, it did hold some interest because I did manage to finish it...LoL Grade: D
Rum Diary (Johnny Depp) - Best thing? Harry the jewel encrusted tortoise. Hands down it was the best thing in the movie! Not to say the movie was horrible, but it does appeal to a certain audience. I think Depp's performance is great (when isn't he?), but the movie sort of rambles on as Kemp (Depp's character) learns the culture, lusts after a woman he can't have, and drinks too much. There are some funny moments here and there and the other actors were also excellent, but it just wasn't my type of movie. Grade: C-
Hugo (Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz) - Good film. It's definitely family friendly and makes me want to finish the book. I bought the book when it came out (it's signed by Selznick) and started reading it, but never finished it. It's a rather BIG book, but it's mostly because about 1/3 of it is all illustrations. I liked the filmography too. The look and feel of the movie had a neat non-real look to it so it felt a little more "magical" I suppose. It's a slight mystery, but it comes down to the end of the film about each of us having a purpose and need to have a purpose. I liked it, but it is rather "docile" and I was tired when watching it and had to make sure I was staying awake. You do get to a point where you're engrossed in it and then I was fine. I definitely don't think it deserves Best Picture. It's a good film, but not THAT good. I do think the cinematography is pretty amazing and I liked the "feel" of the movie. The look also worked for the storyline and what the story was. Grade: B
The Big Year (Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson) - Last year I got the opportunity to see Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers perform in Santa Barbar and, during their performance, Martin talked about filming The Big Year. So, naturally, when it came out I had to see the film. I had looked at the ratings for it, which weren't particularly high, but still wanted to see it. I'm glad I did. It's a nice film. It's got heart in it and has an interesting message/point that winning isn't everything because of what you give up to achieve that. Jack Black's character is the narrator of the film and I really enjoyed all 3 of them. I like Jack Black when he's not doing his "stupid comedies" and this movie is no exception. Owen Wilson was good at being the "bad guy" in this film (more like "the competition") and Steve Martin has a nice role of being the older birder with a wife he's had for a long time, successful businessman, and new grandfather. You also learn a little about birding too. I knew what a Big Year was, but...wow! I didn't think about it being so intense! At any rate, I recommend the movie. It's clean, some funny moments, and it has heart in it. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Grade: B+
In Time (Justin Timerblake, Amanda Seyfried) - I wasn't sure how this movie would play out: bad or good. It turns out it's pretty good. I'm very glad I didn't see the extended trailer before watching it (ironically, saw it in the previews of The Big Year, which I watched after In Time) because it's the entire movie in 2.5 minutes minus knowing if they live or not. It's an interesting concept that currency changes to "time." Humans became genetically engineered to stop aging at 25; however, that's when your clock started. Everyone gets 1 year and if you can't earn more time after that, you'll die when your clock runs out. Timberlake's character is in a different "time zone" as Seyfried's character and is, therefore, living from day-to-day trying to make ends meet with his mother, Olivia Wilde. I will first say, everyone stopping at the age of 25 is interesting, but most of the actors were all around 30 (or even slightly older)! That point sort of annoyed me, but it's mostly besides the point. I liked the feel of the movie because it was our world, but the small changes they made gave it a futuristic feel without hitting you upside the head that it was in the future. Just the simple change of the cut of Seyfried's dresses and the way her hair and make-up were styled was enough to give her that edge. The cars had an electric sound to them, but looked mostly like ours or cars of the 1970's (or earlier). It was a clever tweaking here and there. At any rate, I enjoyed the film more than I thought I would. It's kind of silly at the end, but it has an interesting angle about economics and how "the system" works and the acting wasn't too bad. The premise was interesting too. If you're thinking of watching it, I wouldn't say no to it, but it's definitely not great movie making or anything either. It's a good renter. Grade: B
Puss in Boots - Another Dreamworks and it didn't win Best Animated Picture. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I had a feeling Rango would win since it has some realistic animation in it rather than the more cartoon-y feel of Puss in Poots or Kung Fu Panda 2. Plus, it figures the Academy would pick the movie I have bad memories of thanks to my fellow moviegoers next to me! At any rate, I liked it. If you're a cat owner, I think a lot of the cat references would make more sense -- there are a lot of them. The dance off was funny with the "kitty litter move" and the "butt crawling move" (considering my own cat, the butt crawling one made me laugh in remembrance). This story has Humpty Dumpty, Jack & Jill (thugs, basically), the Goose that laid the golden egg, and the beanstalk/castle in the sky. I really liked Kitty Softpaws. The story wasn't bad and the animation, of course, was excellent. I will say it's a little weird seeing a cat be a "player" (he's a "lover not a fighter") when it's a family movie, but oh well. I'm glad I saw it, but I don't know if I'd buy the DVD. Grade: B
J. Edgar (Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer) - It's definitely a biopic rather than a historical film. It starts with Hoover, in his later years, talking to a writer to tell the story of how the FBI came about. It chronicles the more important parts of his life and culminates with his death. This film does have Hoover be gay and there's a quick kiss between DiCaprio and Hammer after they have an argument and have a physical fight, but it doesn't really go beyond that. I thought the acting was good. I liked DiCaprio as Hoover and Hammer as Tolson. The accents and aged make-up did bother me a little. It's not to say the accent or make-up was bad, but I think I've gotten too used to DiCaprio without any accent and looking like, well, himself that it was just odd seeing him in the make-up with the accent. Sometimes I'd forget, but sometimes it'd come back too. It has a similar style to most of Eastwood's film too. I enjoyed it, but there did seem to be just something small missing. The history facts were interesting about Hoover, but I think the connection to Hoover was slightly missing. Not to say you couldn't like him, but there was just something a little off with the way the movie portrayed him or was organized or something. I will say, just from the movie, it definitely portrays him as an interesting person. Grade: B/B-
With that...I think I'm FINALLY caught up on all the movies I've seen!
Footloose, TinTin, The Three Musketeers, The Muppets, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Tower Heist are next movie rentals. Might rent Young Adult. I'm interested in in Melancholia, but highly doubtful I'll see it. Ghost Rider is in theaters, but not seeing it in theaters. Looking more like Lorax I'll see on DVD too. So I guess that means Mirror, Mirror is really the next movie (3/16) I'll see in theater.
With that said, onto something more personal. My crooked neon tetra was euthanized today. I bought it when it was crooked (v-vent shape in the middle of its body) and I thought it'd die soon afterwards or be the smallest, but it turned out to be my most active and biggest neon tetra. However, last week it lost the ability to float and was struggling to swim. It wasn't too bad for 2 days, but we both thought it'd die within a few days. Last night, after watching it severely struggle (it had been 6 days of this), I decided I wanted to do something to help ease its suffering. It was to the point where it was swimming more and more at a more vertical angle than horizontal, it couldn't swim through the current of my pump (admittedly, it's rather strong), the other fish were out competing it for food (it did okay for the first few days), it seemed to get more cooked (if that's possible), and my shrimp had taken to trying to grab it to eat it (normally my shrimp leaves the fish alone). So, I Googled last night how to euthanize a fish, which then sent me into a panic because I can't deal with dead fish! I think a childhood event with a dead fish left in the fish tank too long so it molded has severely left me severely scarred (and traumatized) over dead pet fish. At any rate, I told Chris he had to do it, but when I was at work! The end result was the fish being put into a baggie with water, put into the freezer, and then flushed when it was dead. The cold water makes it go to sleep and then it dies from the cold (similar to us humans). I just couldn't take watching it anymore, which I suppose says something about my animal suffering tolerance -- it's rock bottom low. If I can't stand seeing a fish suffer, I definitely can't see a bigger animal suffer! So, yes, I had the fish for about 1.5 years (probably alive 1.5-2 years) and it lived a good life. With that said, I'm down to 1 algae fish, 1 ghost shrimp (who is getting quite old at over 2 years old), 2 glowlight tetras, 2 neon tetras, and a bazillion snails. I have yet to find a good private freshwater fish store in the Monterey area so I'm not sure if I'll ever restock. There's a place in Salinas I need to check, though.
Work at Goodwill has been good and I'm still plugging away at my Aquarium report. Work has been exhausting lately and drama issues have cropped up, but it's work. When isn't there some sort of drama? Report is consisting of a lot of emails to people in foreign countries (India, China, Indonesia, Australia, to name a few). It's been an interesting and frustrating process of trying to get information, which isn't really unusual. The report does make me feel like I'm back at school, though.
Well...Time to eat, shower, and go to bed for work tomorrow.
Contagion (Gwenyth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, etc) - Interesting ensemble cast and an interesting movie. I can't say it's as "exciting" or "riveting" as it's made out to be in the trailer (it's supposed to be a sort of medical thriller), but it was interesting on how accurate it is on how a disease can be transmitted and stuff. I also like how the movie was set-up, but it did take me a little while to figure it out. You essentially start the movie on day 2 and work your way across the days (several hundred) to how the disease spreads, how the vaccine is created/distributed, how the investigation of what it is, etc. At the VERY end of the movie, it shows you day 1 to know how correct or incorrect the CDC was and how the disease came about. In a lot of ways, the movie has a feel to a CSI episode (I suppose that's sort of fitting since Fishburne was in CSI for 2 seasons). Good rental. Grade: B
Real Steel (Hugh Jackman) - Not too shabby of a movie. Not quite your stereotypical ending, but, at the same time, wasn't earth shattering or anything. I enjoyed Jackman and the robot was pretty neat too. It's a pretty good famly-ish movie and something different than Jackman being Wolverine. I liked the boy too. He was likeable and tough, whereas Jackman's character in the beginning wasn't as likeable. In a lot of ways, it was the instance of the kid teaching the parent, I suppose. If there's not a whole else to watch, I'd recommend Real Steel, but it's nothing to run out and watch or try to watch. Grade: B/B-
50/50 (Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt) - Well. It's definitely on the "crude" end given it's a Rogen film; however, for a Rogen film, it's not that bad since it is based on the serious side with the cancer. I liked it, but it's definitely not going to be for everyone. It's a film about dealing with cancer and how those around you also deal with it, but it's also about finding your life. I really liked Gordon-Levitt, but I also like him in general too. Grade: B-
Abduction (Taylor Lautner) - I still can't decide if it's not as bad as I thought or if it's as bad as I thought. It's somewhere in the middle maybe? The story is mostly pretty boring and the acting isn't spectacular, but it also somehow passed the time rather well without realizing it. So, maybe it's where your expectations lie. I expected it to be bad, but also had a friend who said it wasn't that bad. At any rate, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone unless you already want to see it. There really isn't much beyond what the trailer shows you, except maybe who his parents really are. Grade: C
What's Your Number? (Anna Faris, Chris Evans) - Well, this went somewhere exactly as I thought. It was rather predictable from the get go, but it wasn't horrible either. Course, it certainly wasn't great even amongst other chick flicks. The concept is rather stupid, though. All starts with an article in Marie Claire that women, on average, sleep with 10.5 (I think) men and Faris's character panics and starts counting and realizes she's slept with 19 people (far more than sister's bridesmaids). She makes a promise that she won't sleep with another man and #20 will be her husband. She gets drunk and ends up sleeping with a former co-worker and panics and, thus, with the help of her male neighbor who sleeps around, tracks down all her former boyfriends to see if one of them is "the one." Yup. That's the premise! It just doesn't work as well as other chic flicks and it's probably to do with the premise. Grade: C
Scorpion King 3 (Dave Bautista, Bostin Christopher, etc) - Wow...Scorpion King movies have definitely tanked. #1 and #2 isn't too bad (#1, of course, is the best), but I thought I'd see this one anyway. Yeah, it was bad. The acting was bad. The special effects were bad. The fight scenes were sometimes like a scene from a bad wrestling match. It was also predictable too. I knew who Cobra was the first time we saw Cobra, etc, etc. I watched What's Your Number? after this and it made What's Your Number? seem far better than it should have been (at the time) because SK3 was so bad. So, don't bother seeing this. At the same time, it did hold some interest because I did manage to finish it...LoL Grade: D
Rum Diary (Johnny Depp) - Best thing? Harry the jewel encrusted tortoise. Hands down it was the best thing in the movie! Not to say the movie was horrible, but it does appeal to a certain audience. I think Depp's performance is great (when isn't he?), but the movie sort of rambles on as Kemp (Depp's character) learns the culture, lusts after a woman he can't have, and drinks too much. There are some funny moments here and there and the other actors were also excellent, but it just wasn't my type of movie. Grade: C-
Hugo (Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz) - Good film. It's definitely family friendly and makes me want to finish the book. I bought the book when it came out (it's signed by Selznick) and started reading it, but never finished it. It's a rather BIG book, but it's mostly because about 1/3 of it is all illustrations. I liked the filmography too. The look and feel of the movie had a neat non-real look to it so it felt a little more "magical" I suppose. It's a slight mystery, but it comes down to the end of the film about each of us having a purpose and need to have a purpose. I liked it, but it is rather "docile" and I was tired when watching it and had to make sure I was staying awake. You do get to a point where you're engrossed in it and then I was fine. I definitely don't think it deserves Best Picture. It's a good film, but not THAT good. I do think the cinematography is pretty amazing and I liked the "feel" of the movie. The look also worked for the storyline and what the story was. Grade: B
The Big Year (Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson) - Last year I got the opportunity to see Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers perform in Santa Barbar and, during their performance, Martin talked about filming The Big Year. So, naturally, when it came out I had to see the film. I had looked at the ratings for it, which weren't particularly high, but still wanted to see it. I'm glad I did. It's a nice film. It's got heart in it and has an interesting message/point that winning isn't everything because of what you give up to achieve that. Jack Black's character is the narrator of the film and I really enjoyed all 3 of them. I like Jack Black when he's not doing his "stupid comedies" and this movie is no exception. Owen Wilson was good at being the "bad guy" in this film (more like "the competition") and Steve Martin has a nice role of being the older birder with a wife he's had for a long time, successful businessman, and new grandfather. You also learn a little about birding too. I knew what a Big Year was, but...wow! I didn't think about it being so intense! At any rate, I recommend the movie. It's clean, some funny moments, and it has heart in it. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Grade: B+
In Time (Justin Timerblake, Amanda Seyfried) - I wasn't sure how this movie would play out: bad or good. It turns out it's pretty good. I'm very glad I didn't see the extended trailer before watching it (ironically, saw it in the previews of The Big Year, which I watched after In Time) because it's the entire movie in 2.5 minutes minus knowing if they live or not. It's an interesting concept that currency changes to "time." Humans became genetically engineered to stop aging at 25; however, that's when your clock started. Everyone gets 1 year and if you can't earn more time after that, you'll die when your clock runs out. Timberlake's character is in a different "time zone" as Seyfried's character and is, therefore, living from day-to-day trying to make ends meet with his mother, Olivia Wilde. I will first say, everyone stopping at the age of 25 is interesting, but most of the actors were all around 30 (or even slightly older)! That point sort of annoyed me, but it's mostly besides the point. I liked the feel of the movie because it was our world, but the small changes they made gave it a futuristic feel without hitting you upside the head that it was in the future. Just the simple change of the cut of Seyfried's dresses and the way her hair and make-up were styled was enough to give her that edge. The cars had an electric sound to them, but looked mostly like ours or cars of the 1970's (or earlier). It was a clever tweaking here and there. At any rate, I enjoyed the film more than I thought I would. It's kind of silly at the end, but it has an interesting angle about economics and how "the system" works and the acting wasn't too bad. The premise was interesting too. If you're thinking of watching it, I wouldn't say no to it, but it's definitely not great movie making or anything either. It's a good renter. Grade: B
Puss in Boots - Another Dreamworks and it didn't win Best Animated Picture. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I had a feeling Rango would win since it has some realistic animation in it rather than the more cartoon-y feel of Puss in Poots or Kung Fu Panda 2. Plus, it figures the Academy would pick the movie I have bad memories of thanks to my fellow moviegoers next to me! At any rate, I liked it. If you're a cat owner, I think a lot of the cat references would make more sense -- there are a lot of them. The dance off was funny with the "kitty litter move" and the "butt crawling move" (considering my own cat, the butt crawling one made me laugh in remembrance). This story has Humpty Dumpty, Jack & Jill (thugs, basically), the Goose that laid the golden egg, and the beanstalk/castle in the sky. I really liked Kitty Softpaws. The story wasn't bad and the animation, of course, was excellent. I will say it's a little weird seeing a cat be a "player" (he's a "lover not a fighter") when it's a family movie, but oh well. I'm glad I saw it, but I don't know if I'd buy the DVD. Grade: B
J. Edgar (Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer) - It's definitely a biopic rather than a historical film. It starts with Hoover, in his later years, talking to a writer to tell the story of how the FBI came about. It chronicles the more important parts of his life and culminates with his death. This film does have Hoover be gay and there's a quick kiss between DiCaprio and Hammer after they have an argument and have a physical fight, but it doesn't really go beyond that. I thought the acting was good. I liked DiCaprio as Hoover and Hammer as Tolson. The accents and aged make-up did bother me a little. It's not to say the accent or make-up was bad, but I think I've gotten too used to DiCaprio without any accent and looking like, well, himself that it was just odd seeing him in the make-up with the accent. Sometimes I'd forget, but sometimes it'd come back too. It has a similar style to most of Eastwood's film too. I enjoyed it, but there did seem to be just something small missing. The history facts were interesting about Hoover, but I think the connection to Hoover was slightly missing. Not to say you couldn't like him, but there was just something a little off with the way the movie portrayed him or was organized or something. I will say, just from the movie, it definitely portrays him as an interesting person. Grade: B/B-
With that...I think I'm FINALLY caught up on all the movies I've seen!
Footloose, TinTin, The Three Musketeers, The Muppets, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Tower Heist are next movie rentals. Might rent Young Adult. I'm interested in in Melancholia, but highly doubtful I'll see it. Ghost Rider is in theaters, but not seeing it in theaters. Looking more like Lorax I'll see on DVD too. So I guess that means Mirror, Mirror is really the next movie (3/16) I'll see in theater.
With that said, onto something more personal. My crooked neon tetra was euthanized today. I bought it when it was crooked (v-vent shape in the middle of its body) and I thought it'd die soon afterwards or be the smallest, but it turned out to be my most active and biggest neon tetra. However, last week it lost the ability to float and was struggling to swim. It wasn't too bad for 2 days, but we both thought it'd die within a few days. Last night, after watching it severely struggle (it had been 6 days of this), I decided I wanted to do something to help ease its suffering. It was to the point where it was swimming more and more at a more vertical angle than horizontal, it couldn't swim through the current of my pump (admittedly, it's rather strong), the other fish were out competing it for food (it did okay for the first few days), it seemed to get more cooked (if that's possible), and my shrimp had taken to trying to grab it to eat it (normally my shrimp leaves the fish alone). So, I Googled last night how to euthanize a fish, which then sent me into a panic because I can't deal with dead fish! I think a childhood event with a dead fish left in the fish tank too long so it molded has severely left me severely scarred (and traumatized) over dead pet fish. At any rate, I told Chris he had to do it, but when I was at work! The end result was the fish being put into a baggie with water, put into the freezer, and then flushed when it was dead. The cold water makes it go to sleep and then it dies from the cold (similar to us humans). I just couldn't take watching it anymore, which I suppose says something about my animal suffering tolerance -- it's rock bottom low. If I can't stand seeing a fish suffer, I definitely can't see a bigger animal suffer! So, yes, I had the fish for about 1.5 years (probably alive 1.5-2 years) and it lived a good life. With that said, I'm down to 1 algae fish, 1 ghost shrimp (who is getting quite old at over 2 years old), 2 glowlight tetras, 2 neon tetras, and a bazillion snails. I have yet to find a good private freshwater fish store in the Monterey area so I'm not sure if I'll ever restock. There's a place in Salinas I need to check, though.
Work at Goodwill has been good and I'm still plugging away at my Aquarium report. Work has been exhausting lately and drama issues have cropped up, but it's work. When isn't there some sort of drama? Report is consisting of a lot of emails to people in foreign countries (India, China, Indonesia, Australia, to name a few). It's been an interesting and frustrating process of trying to get information, which isn't really unusual. The report does make me feel like I'm back at school, though.
Well...Time to eat, shower, and go to bed for work tomorrow.
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